Apparatus for extinguishing fires



i (No Modl.)

- zsheets -sheet 1.

J. K. J.'FOSTER.

APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES.

Witness es Pate nted'Jan. 1, 1884.

N. FETERS. Phnwumn mr. W-Isilinglul. o c.

(Nb Model.) V 2.Shee1 ;s- -Sheet 2.

J. K J POSTBR.

n APPARATUSIOB EXTINGUISEING Finns. V v No. 291,324. Patented Jan. 1, 1884.

' WITNESSES: mvzmon:

BY ATTORNEYS Nr rnn TATES JOHN KISSAGK JOSHUA rosrnn, or BoL'roiv,

1 p ENGLAND.

'eounrv or LAXCASTER,

APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHIPJG FIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming ar of Letters Patent No. 291,324, dated January 1, i801.

Applihation film. April 18, 1883. (X model.) Patented in England February 18, 1e82, N0. 803 and in France August1fl1882,

d To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OHN KISSACK JOSHUA FOSTER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Bolton, in the county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and useful Apparatus for Extinguishing Fires, (for which I have received Letters Patent in Great Britain, bearing date February'lS, 1882, No. 803, and in France, dated August 18, 1882, No. 150,706,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new method of and apparatus for extinguishing fire by depriving atmospheric air of its oxygen. and vitiating it with the carbonic-acid gas and other products of combustion resulting from passing theair through or over afire, and forcing or drawing theair so vitiated or deprived of its power of supporting combustion into or through the burning structure. The apparatus for rendering atmospheric air unfit to support combustion and applying it for the extinction of a fire comprises one or more fans, blowers, pumps, or other appliances of suitable construction for forcing or exhausting air, combinedwith a portable furnace, a boiler or other steam-generator,.and an engine, the former being connected with the fancasing by pipes in such manner that atmospheric air will be drawn or forced through the furnace and be thereby deprived of most of its oxygen, and at the same time mixed with the products of combustion, so as to become incapable of supporting combustion. The boiler supplies steam for the engine, and

i also steam to be injected into the air after it has been passed through the furnace. The pipes conveying the vitiated air from the fur-. nace may be jacketed for the-reception of water to cool the air and the pipes. ;The vitiated air, impregnated or not with steam, gases,

or vapors, is conveyed by pipes into the burning structure through a hole made in the door or otherwise, the structure being kept closed as much as possible to prevent the access of air otherwise than through the apparatus.

, vitiated air as may be required. Instead of or in addition to injecting steam from the boiler, plain water, or water holding in solution or mixed with salt or bisulphide of -car bon or other matters. capable of generating gases which do not support combustion, may be injected into the furnace, to moderate its heat and assist in extinguishing the burning structure. Instead of an engine,'the fan may be driven by manual power.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation, showing my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of the upper part of the small boiler S, its pipe L, connecting with pipe F, and the coupled throttle-valves L L of which one is in pipe L and the other in chimney L Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of a water-jacket surrounding the pipe for conducting the vitiated air.

A is a boiler or the jacket of a fire-box, B,

tiating air. It has an uptake, 0, for steam from the boiler or jacket, and another, D, for the products of combustion from the firebox B. y

E is a fan drawing the products of combustion from the fire-box B through a pipe, F, connecting the uptake D with the fan-casing. G is a similar pipe, connecting the steam-up take 0 with the discharge-outlet of the fan.

H H are throttlevalves coupled so that when H closes the outlet through the chimney H opens a passage through pipe F to the fan, and vice versa. A similar pair of coupled valves, I I, control uptake 0 and steam-pipe G.

S is a small high-pressure boiler supplying steam to an engine, K, which drives the fan. Its chimney is connected with pipe F by a pipe, L; and a similar pair of coupled valves is provided to control the communication.

M is the exhaustpipe of the engine, leading to the uptake 0 below the valve I N is an opening in the suction-pipe F of the fan, closed by a throttle-valve, which is only opened when ordinary pure air is to be ad- "mitted to the fan to clear a room of the vit-i- 5 ated air after a fire. m

l? is the delivery-pipe of the fan, made of metal in short lengths fitted together telescopically. Other similar telescopic pipes, P,-may be added on by screw-couplings. or the delivery-pipe may be otherwise constructed.

The fly-wheel of the engine is connected to the crank-shaft by a clutch, so that it may be thrown in and out of gear by a handle, 1*, to enable the fan to be driven by hand at first by a handle, T, on the fly-wheel, for the purpose of creating a draft in the furnace of boiler S, the valve H then being shut and the fan drawing air through the pipe L. p

The engine may be mounted on wheels, as shown; or it may be stationary.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with a fan-blower, of the steam-boiler S, pipe L, connected throttle valves L L", pipe F. throttle-valves H H, uptake D, and furnace B, as shown and described.

2. The combination of a fire-box and boiler provided .With separate uptakes, pipes con nected to said uptakes for the conveyance of vitiated air and steam, repectively, a fair blower or pump connected to said pipes, throttle-valves to control the thoroughfare through the pipes, and a boiler and steam-engine for 25 driving the fan-blower or pump, substantially as herein described, and shown in the drawings, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the boiler A, fire-box B, uptakes G and D, pipes F and G, fanblower or pump E, coupled pairs of throttlevalves H H I I, steam-engine K, and highpressure steam-boiler S, substantially as shown and described, for the purpose specified.

The foregoing specification of my improvements in extinguishing fires and in apparatus -to be employed therefor signed by methis 20th day of March, 1883.

JOHN KISSAOK JOSHUA FOSTER. Witnesses:

ROBERT WINDER,

Notary Public, Bolton. EDMUND GEE,

Solicitor, Bolton. 

